The Battlestar Galacticafication of Stargate has began!

Sorry, but after seeing the trailer for Stargate: Universe just now, that's the vibe I got; Robert Carlyle's character even looks a little bit like Gaius Baltar, and the situtation sounds a lot like that of the Galactica's. Plus, according to the website, three characters will die in the pilot, and the ship will be on the verge of falling apart.

-Aging ship falling apart at the seams
-Scientists, civilians and military personnel stranded aboard far from home
-Wacked Head scientist has an agenda not necessarily in the best interests of all, struggles to lead the group.
-Military leader struggles to lead the group (SGC has command of the secret project, so theoretically, they should be answering to him)
-IOA representative struggles to lead the group (IOA has oversight of the Gate program, so theoretically, they should be answering to her)
-Young genius in awe of older enigmatic genius
-Shaky cam mode engaged
-Death, death and more death
-Darker plot arcs
-Darker lighting
-Dark, dark, dark!

Yes, it looks like SG:U will be Stargate's attempt to ape BSG, but with fewer decent actors, no decent writing, and zero sense of style. I'm sure they think they're going to be "dark and hip," just like BSG, but Stargate has this amazing way of taking any subject matter, no matter how dire, and rendering it utterly innocuous and shallow. The writers don't get up to the cliff and then balk; they usually don't even get withing spitting distance of the cliff.

Robert Carlyle's character even looks a little bit like Gaius Baltar

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The Stargate Way would be to make him an upstanding, noble fellow and under no circumstances should he actually turn out to be a villain. So if your theory is correct, that would be a step up for Stargate.

Either way, Stargate needs to put something unique out there...they can't just do another rehash of the type of writing that characterized late SG1 and a lot of SG:A.
And SG* wasn't my favorite show...but I'm not bad mouthing it, it has quite the nice following. However, you have to bring something new to the table on occasion.

Agreed. I watched nBSG from start to end and, frankly, it's not in human nature to be dark 100 percent of the time. That, however, is exactly what nBSG was — dark, hopeless and full of bitching and backstabbers. And this is from a fellow who watched it, and more or less enjoyed the majority of the episodes.

Agreed. I watched nBSG from start to end and, frankly, it's not in human nature to be dark 100 percent of the time.

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And the characters of BSG were not. We saw laughing, joking, kidding around, love, sex, friendships. We saw people show bravery in the face of adversity, and hold on to hope. Because characters go through some shitty things (example: your whole civilisation being destroyed) resulting in an ongoing atmosphere of some fear and grief, didn't mean there weren't human or light times on BSG as there would be in reality.

That, however, is exactly what nBSG was — dark, hopeless and full of bitching and backstabbers.

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No, it wasn't. It might be worth watching it through again. Dark? arguably, yes. It's about the end of the world, what did you expect? But hopeless? No. And with plenty of characters, not least the lead, who were either honourable or tried very hard to be.

If "like BSG" means SGU has half the depth of story, range of characters or realism that BSG had, I'm all for it. The likely other option is Voyager blandness as happened to Atlantis after it's first season. I know which I'd rather see happen.

Actually I'm with the hopeless brigade on this one. I loved Battlestar but it was wrist-slashingly depressing for most of the time. There were plenty of opportunities for humour which were completely ignored, especially gallows humour amongst the military.

Actually I'm with the hopeless brigade on this one. I loved Battlestar but it was wrist-slashingly depressing for most of the time. There were plenty of opportunities for humour which were completely ignored, especially gallows humour amongst the military.

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There were very few times I actually thought BSG was depressing. I think Children of Earth easily out did BSG during it's 5 episodes. But I will agree they missed a lot of opportunity for humour.